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Keep Your Air Conditioning and Heating System Running Smoothly

Keep Your Air Conditioning and Heating System Running Smoothly

Regardless of what climate you live in, keeping your air conditioning and heating system running smoothly is critical. As with anything that contains moving parts, maintenance is very important. Imagine if you never changed the oil and oil filter in your car, things wouldn’t go well for long. Although your HVAC system doesn’t have oil to change like your car, there are many parts and components that will not last forever and keeping them in good condition is key to not having a system failure when you really need it working smoothly, like on a 100 degree day in the south or a sub-zero winter day in the north.

We’ll go over some of the easier tasks you can do yourself. We’ll also go over some that may require the use of a professional service company to complete.

Easier, Do-It-Yourself Type Tasks

Changing Your Air Filter

One of the easiest and most important things you can do to keep your system running smoothly is to change your air filter regularly. This might sound like a no-brainer, but it is easy to forget until it stops your system from working. We find it best to add a reminder to my phone for this or you can check it when you pay your mortgage or rent monthly. The more your system runs in the hotter and/or colder months, the more often the air filter will need to be changed. We have an article dedicated to this topic and you can read it the link below.

Air Filter Change Frequency

Keeping the Drain Line Cleared

Drain lines can be a big problem if they get clogged. Most systems have a drain safety switch to turn the system off if the drain line gets clogged, but some don’t. This can stop your system from working and create a costly service call. It can also cause a lot of water damage if the system doesn’t shut off. You can help avoid this by pouring a cup of vinegar or a store-bought AC Line cleaner into the drain line every couple of months.

Keep the Coils Clean

HVAC systems have two coils, one inside and one outside. The outside coil and unit should be kept free of any grass or shrubs growing around it. Keeping these trimmed to at least 12 inches away is a good rule of thumb. You can clean the outdoor coil if you wish but be careful as it is delicate and should be rinsed out with a gentle stream of water from the inside of the coil out. This will require removing the top of the unit after you disconnect the power for safety. The indoor coil is a bit trickier. This coil is not easy to access and should be cleaned by a professional. To keep this coil clean and avoid having it cleaned, you should replace your air filter often. When the filter gets too dirty, it will start to drawl air and dirt around the outside and this dirt collects on the indoor coil.

Keep the Units Clean

It’s a good idea to wipe down the indoor and outdoor units at least once a year. This will keep dirt and grime from building up on the outside. This build-up can cause premature deterioration of the metal and cause rust. It can be avoided by just keeping the units clean.

More Difficult Tasks Requiring a Professional

Indoor Coil Cleaning

As mentioned above, the indoor coil is difficult to access and should be handled by a professional. You can help avoid this costly process by keeping your air filter changed frequently. 

Dirty Blower Wheels

There is a blower wheel inside the indoor unit that moves the air through the system and your home. If this gets dirty it can greatly reduce the amount of air it can move. A layer of dust the thickness of a piece of paper can reduce the airflow by more than 20%. This process should be performed by a professional and involves removing the blower housing, removing the motor from the housing, and then removing the blower wheel so it can be cleaned. This is also a costly repair that can be avoided by changing your air filter frequently to not let dirt and dust bypass the filter and collect on the coil and blower wheel. 

Duct Cleaning

Having you HVAC ducts cleaned is something that is debatable. Many companies offer this service, and it can be expensive. The problem is, there are some types of ducts that should not be cleaned with a brush, which is how many companies accomplish this process. Many modern duct systems are constructed of flex-duct and fiberglass duct board. Fiberglass duct board can be easily damaged by this process and flexible duct can become fragile with age. From our experience, prevention is the best method to keep your whole home heating and cooling systems running smoothly and efficiently.

Ary Co has many options to help protect your investment and making sure it is at peak performance, especially when you need it the most. Summer is coming quick, make sure your prepared for the hottest days by getting your system checked and maintained regularly.

How to prepare your home for Spring

How to prepare your home for Spring

Introduction

It’s that time of year! The weather is warming up, Spring is in the air, and it’s time to start getting ready for the coming season. Here are some ideas on how to prepare your home for Spring.

Check your roof and your gutters

The rainy season is right around the corner, so now is a good time to check your roof to make sure all your shingles are still intact. This way, you can worry less about unexpected roof leaks in the coming months. If you have gutters, go ahead and check them while you’re up there. Make sure they are clean and clear of debris so they’re ready to direct the water away from your home. Taking care of this now will prevent costly repairs to your foundation.

Spruce up your landscape

Trim back any of the dead vegetation left over from winter and clear your yard of any debris so it is ready for seeding. Once the threat of your last frost is over, it’s time to get your garden started. Plant those seeds and bulbs!

Don’t forget to get that lawnmower ready, too. Sharpen your blades and remove any debris that are caked on from last year. Change the oil and get your gas or charge up those batteries if your mower is electric.

Clean your home’s exterior

Power or pressure wash your windows, exterior walls, vents, and driveway. Prepare your patio, clean your furniture, and get that grill ready for cooking!

Do some spring cleaning indoors

Spring cleaning is in the air! This is the time to do all the cleaning that you don’t typically do on a regular basis. Things like your baseboards, walls, doors, blinds, light fixtures, vents, and windows could all probably use a good wipe. Check out the items in your fridge and pantry, get rid of any unwanted items and scrub the spaces clean. Get rid of anything that’s cluttering your home. Clutter can bring stress into your life even if you don’t realize it. If you haven’t used it in the last year and you don’t have a specific plan for it, it’s probably safe to get rid of it.

Check your alarms and filters

Test those smoke, carbon monoxide and security alarms to assure they are in working order. Check for and replace any old batteries now to prevent them from going off unexpectedly. If you haven’t done it within the last month or so, go ahead and check your air filters and change them if necessary. They might be filled up from all that spring cleaning that you did!

Air Filter Changing Frequency

How often should I change my air filter?

This seems to be the most common question we are asked all the time. The simple answer is, “as often as they get dirty.”  Seems simple enough, right?  Let me further explain.  Every home or business is different and so is the climate we use them in.  Each one has different occupants and is used differently.  One home may have a family of four with a dog and a cat while another may have single occupant.  As you can imagine, the one with a family of four with pets should be changing their filters more often.  Why?  More people means more dust and pollutants and pets can multiply this several time over.  

For a business or office where clients and customers are coming in and out of the door all day long, will need to be changing their ai filters more frequently. Again, the best recommendation is to check your filters each month, because each change of season also brings its own pollutants.

Most of the time it is pretty obvious that an air filter is in need of replacing but here are some signs to look for that can tell you it’s time to change it:

If your air filter is damp or wet

If the filter has been pulled into the unit by the air flow

If you hold it up to a light and little or no light is visible through the air filter

If the amount of air coming out of your registers and grilles has gone down significantly

If there is a build up of dust on your registers or grilles (air has started to bypass the filter)

Our best advice is to check it once a month when you pay your power bill seeing how your air filter has a direct impact on the performance of your heating and cooling system.  If it’s dirty go ahead and change it.  If not, check again in a week or two.  Once you do this, you’ll get a feel for how often the air filter in your own home should be changed.  

Ary Co offers monthly filter changing services for residential and commercial buildings We will come in, inspect, and set up a filter changing scheduled that is most convent for you and is optimal for your HVAC system performance.

What you need to know about using R-22 in HVAC systems

R-22 was the most popular refrigerant used in commercial and residential air conditioning units for many years because it was considered a safe and cost-efficient refrigerant choice by the HVACR industry. But as anyone in the industry knows, R-22 was phased out in the U.S. beginning in 2010 because it is ozone depleting.

Once the U.S. EPA began allocating and reducing available quantities of R-22, fear of shortages drove manufacturers, distributors and service companies to immediately stock up on as much R-22 as possible, causing price spikes.  However, as time passed, and availability continued, prices have stabilized.

EPA refrigerant phase-out regulations often have complex market impacts that can cause confusion.  The R-22 phase-out regulation ends new production and import of HCFC-22 as of January 1, 2020. After 2020, reclaimed R-22 can be used for service and maintenance for the life of the equipment.

The reclaim and recycling industry acted early to ensure adequate supply of R-22. Today hundreds of millions of pounds of R-22 are available in existing equipment. This will be adequate to ensure full lifetime service needs because a rooftop air conditioning unit lasts about 10 to 15 years and Trane, along with most other manufacturers, stopped producing commercial air conditioning units with R-22 in 2010. Now, eight years later, those units are expected to run for another 2 to 8 years, sustaining the supply for other equipment. Additionally, the accumulated R-22 stockpile and recycling and reclamation programs are extending availability. The bottom line is that the risk of R-22 demand exceeding supply is very low.

What should system owners do next?

Maintain your service and maintenance schedules for the expected life of the equipment. Proper maintenance helps prevent refrigerant leaks and, if a leak does happen, technicians will catch it early. Even if the price of R-22 climbs, the cost of replacing a few pounds will be relatively minor.

Owners who want to convert an R-22 system to a different refrigerant should proceed with extreme caution. Air conditioning units—Trane’s and everyone else’s—operate best with the refrigerant they were designed to use. An exact “drop-in” replacement alternative for R-22 does not exist, so changing refrigerant isn’t as simple as changing the oil in a car. It requires an engineered approach that evaluates the hardware, lubrication, refrigerant and controls to optimize performance. System efficiency losses and a voided warranty are some of the risks.

Maintaining an R-22 system for its anticipated life span is the safest way to maintain efficiency and your warranty.

Before making any decisions regarding refrigerant conversions or system upgrades, be sure to talk to someone who understands the complexities of the regulations and the pros and cons of next-generation refrigerants.

*Source https://www.trane.com/commercial/north-america/us/en/about-us/newsroom/blogs/what-to-know-about-r22-in-hvac-systems.html

Honor the Past. Celebrate the Present. Embrace the Future.

“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” ~Soren Kierkegaard

Some may have noticed the changes in our logo over the last couple years. We think it is important to share the evolution of our logo, branding, and company. We love to see progress, not only ours, but without our community. Small business owners grow and change as their interests and skills develop. For those of you who haven’t been following since 1982, we are sharing the early work.

But design isn’t the only development we have had, along with building a brand new facility, our business name holds even more history;

Ary Services

A Ary Co

A Ary Co A/C & Heat

Ary Air Conditioning

Ary Company AC & Heat

A Ary Co Heating & AC

Ary Co AC & Heat

A Ary Co. A/C & Heating

A Ary Co A C Heating

AC Service

Ary Co. AC & Heat

A Ary Co AC/ Heating

Ary Co’s

Ary Co A/C & Heat

Ary Co HVAC & Electric

ARYCO

Though not all of these names were from us, we still find value in the way our name has traveled and grown since 1982.